Quest
by The Demons
Summary: Will's son and apprentice Axel and his best friend Rayna set out on a quest to find Will when he gets himself into trouble.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters. They all belong to John Flanagan.**

**Hey guys :) **

**So I'm not sure exactly how this'll go, but I'm hoping you like it :) **

**Review please!**

* * *

CHAPTER 1:

Rayna watched wistfully as Will showed Axel how to draw back on his bowstring properly. When he was convinced that the fifteen year old boy had it right, he stepped back and allowed him to realease at the target. The arrow embedded itself not quite in the center of the circular block of wood. Axel grinned and turned to Will, who clapped his son on the back. Rayna sighed. She'd very much like to be a Ranger, she thought. Oh well. She had gotten the next best thing. The only girl in her age group to be selected for Battleschool.

Will glanced over towards the trees, and Rayna knew better than to move. He'd probably known she was there the entire time, but just in case he hadn't she didn't want to draw attention to herself by moving. His gaze appeared to pass right over the tree where she sat huddled in the branches, but she didn't take that as a sign that he hadn't seen her. She knew her best friend's father too well for that. After he had finished scanning the trees, he leaned towards Axel and said something unintelligible to him. Axel didn't move, but Rayna guessed, correctly, that he was scanning the trees as well, with his eyes. He said something to Will, and the famous Ranger smiled at him. He urged him to run along, and when Axel was gone into his small one man tent he looked up at Rayna's tree and touched two fingers to his forehead in a salute. Rayna smiled at him, and the Ranger went to follow his son inside.

Rayna grabbed a cloak and swarmed down the tree like a squirrel. She dropped to the ground without making a sound and crept towards the Gathering Ground. She had "borrowed" one of Axel's Ranger cloaks and now studied the pattern of shadows cast by the trees in the evening light. Axel had taught her this trick a couple years back, and it had helped her slip past her parents night after night to join James – her friend from Battleschool who had grown up in the ward – in the forest. She grinned. They hadn't caught her once. Now she pulled the cowl of the cloak over her head, bathing her face in shadows. She slipped past a few Rangers who looked up, frowning, feeling as though they'd missed something. Then they shrugged and went back to chatting quietly. Rayna smiled to herself as she came up behind Axel's tent, apparently without being spotted. She climbed up a tree so that the noise projected properly. She had practised for hours, preparing for the Gathering. She emitted an almost perfect impression of an owl's hoot, and she heard muttering voices from inside the tent. She slipped silently back down the trunk of the tree and waited for Axel. He came out and walked past her tree, pretending not to notice her. She slipped after him, darting from cover to cover, crouching, remaining unseen by everyone but Axel. He looked back every once in a while and she froze, but she knew he had seen her. She grinned at him once. He was smart enough not to grin back until they were deep in the forest. Then he said quietly: "They won't be able to see you here, you can get up. But move quietly; they might hear you." She nodded and stood slowly. He grinned at her now.

They walked side by side through the forest, making barely a sound on the leaf-littered forest floor, heading to a clearing they had selected just for this purpose. There was a large fallen over log towards the far side, and they sat down on it. Rayna let out a sigh. Axel looked at her and smiled. She looked up at him and smiled back. Then they turned back to watching the forest floor. Rayna rested her elbows on her knees and clasped her hands together, bouncing her knees up and down. Axel kept glancing from her to the forest floor, then back to her, and back to the ground. The plan had been to sneak past the Rangers and meet here, but now that they were here they didn't know what to do. Rayna hadn't expected to get past the professionals, and Axel had thought she would know what to do.

"Hey," he said eventually, and she looked at him. He grinned. "We did it."

Rayna grinned back and he stood up, offering a hand. She took it and jumped to her feet. Then she threw her arms around his neck. She hadn't exactly been sure if they would make it, and she didn't think Will would give them much trouble if they did get caught, but other Rangers might. And they hadn't been caught.

"We sure did," she muttered into the cowl of his cloak that had been pushed back from his head. He smiled into hers. Then they pulled apart. This was Rayna's least favorite part. The part where the other Rangers would expect him back, so he had to leave. And that meant she had no reason to stay any longer.

"See you next year," Rayna said. Their parents were from different fiefs, and Rayna's father was a Ranger as well, though not quite as famous as Will Treaty. The only time they could meet was at the Gathering every year, seeing as neither of their parents could move to a different fief just like that. Even if they did move, it would be because Skinner – Rayna's father – had been assigned a new fief, or another Ranger had been assigned his.

"Promise you'll be even sneakier next year?" Axel said. Rayna smiled sadly at him. He returned the look. Then they embraced again, and Rayna kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Promise," Rayna whispered in his ear, and he smiled. They stepped back and looked at each other for a moment, then Rayna darted off into the trees away from the Ranger camp, to skirt around back to the road and retrieve her horse. Axel stayed there for a moment, then turned to walk back to the Gathering Grounds. He was just in time to hear the assignments.

Halt had retired a while back, and Will was the Ranger remaining at Redmont. Axel wondered what fief Skinner would be assigned to. He knew that Rayna wouldn't mind changing fiefs. She didn't make many decent friends at Battleschool. He crossed his fingers, hoping she would be moved to a fief closer to Redmont. He barely suppressed an enormous whoop when Skinner was assigned the fief directly beside his home. When Skinner heard the news, he glanced at the young Ranger's apprentice and smiled. He mouthed the words: _I can't wait to tell Ray_. Ray was what he called his daughter. Axel grinned and shook his head. _Surprise her. _Skinner smiled and nodded.

Will smiled at the silent exchange between Skinner and his son. At least now Skinner's small, dark haired daughter and his son wouldn't have to go sneaking off together at every Gathering, although he suspected they would.

That night, he tried to question his son on what he'd done today. Axel replied simply: "Dad, you were with me pretty much _all day_. I didn't do anything exciting."

"Hmm . . ." Will said, pretending to consider it. Axel glared. He didn't like it when his father knew something but didn't say it. "How's Rayna?" Will asked eventually. Axel shrugged.

"I saw her for a moment when Skinner came in, but she had to leave. As far as I know, she hasn't changed." Axel smiled inwardly. She had actually become much better at hiding with the shadows, making her bird calls, and moving silently.

Will nodded slowly. His son was good at this. He decided not to tell him that he had seen Rayna hiding in the tree. He had to admit that he'd lost track of her after that. He just smiled at his son and apprentice, and he was proud. The small, slim, brown-eyed boy in front if him would grow up to be as famous as his father. Axel yawned suddenly.

"Well," he said. "I'm going to sleep. I still need it, unlike you Rangers seem to."

"You are a Ranger, Axel," Will reminded him.

"Not yet," Axel said, with a certain amount of satisfaction in his voice. "I'm still an apprentice." Then his breathing fell into a steady rhythm and he was asleep.

"Not _yet_," Will said.

Rayna rode hard, following the long, straight road. Eventually, her small horse tired and slowed to a trot. She sighed and slid from the saddle. She wasn't even a sixth of the way there. She set up a small camp beside the road, hidden by the trees, and coaxed her horse to lay down. He obliged with some hesitation, but eventually he was lying next to the tent, facing the direction they were headed, sleeping. Rayna sat down next to him and leaned on his belly. She would sleep here, hopefully going unnoticed, then move out in the morning. Satisfied with her plan, she nodded and fell asleep.

Skinner saw Crowley that night. "Crowley, I'm going to direct Rayna to head straight for the new fief. Could you send word to Angela –"

Crowley held up a hand. "Already done. A while ago, in fact."

"How long ago are we talking?" Skinner asked suspiciously. Crowley smiled and waved an arm dismissively.

"Not important. Did you have something else to ask?"

"Yes, actually," Skinner said. "Rayna has a friend, at the old fief, from her battleschool. His name is James –"

"Also done," Crowley said with a smile, and when Skinner opened his mouth to ask how long, Crowley held up a hand. "Still not important. Skinner, they know. They're probably on their way already. It's fine."

"Oh," Skinner said. "Well, thanks."

"Out pleasure, Skinner," Crowley said with a smile. "Good luck at the new fief."

"Thanks, boss," Skinner said, returning his smile.

"Please," Crowley said. "It's Crowley."

Skinner grinned and stepped out to saddle Small. He had to go turn Rayna in the right direction.

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**So there's chapter one!**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Review please!**

**-The Demons**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters. They all belong to John Flanagan.**

**So here we go, chapter two!**

**Remember to R&R**

* * *

CHAPTER 2:

Skinner rode past the point where Rayna lay sleeping, then he heard something, backtracked, and saw a lump that looked like a rock at a glance, but at closer inspection could be seen as the back of a horse, lying down. He had heard him snort in his sleep. He took a step forward and saw his daughter curled up against the horse, sound asleep. He snapped a branch, just to be sure. She muttered, but didn't wake. He prodded her and lifted her limbs, but nothing happened. He picked her up and sat her on his horse, Small, and then coaxed her horse to his feet. He turned him around on the road, facing away from their old home. Then he packed up Rayna's little camp, tied the packs firmly to the pony's saddle, and mounted.

"Follow," he said to Small. Small shook his mane. Rayna shifted and muttered and Small, seeming to sense that she wasn't supposed to wake, froze. She soon nodded off again and Small relaxed.

"Come on, silly horse," Skinner said, leading the pony down the road. Small followed obediently.

A few hours later they were several kilometres away from Rayna's original camping spot. The black sky was turning a dark shade of blue, and Skinner urged the horses into a gallop. They covered a considerable amount more ground before the sun broke the horizon, and Skinner decided he would have to stop here.

He set up Rayna's camp exactly as it had been, laid her down against the pony exactly as she had been, facing towards Redmont.

"Sweet dreams, Ray," he whispered and kissed her forehead, then rode ahead. He had to reach Redmont soon, to get their new home ready for Rayna when she arrived in a few days time.

Rayna woke early in the morning, looked around to check that everything was where it had been, nodded, satisfied, and then stood, brushing the dirt off her clothes. She led the pony to his weary feet and fed and watered him, eating a few cold rations herself. Then she closed up her camp, dispersing the embers of the fire and stomping them into the ground, stowing all her supplies in the packs on the pony's saddle. Then she mounted the small animal and took off down the road, in the direction he had been facing, right where she'd left him the night before.

Six days later, Rayna was saddle sore and grouchy. She grumbled and muttered to herself all day, and when night came she sank to the ground, not even bothering to set up camp. She fed and watered the pony of course, and ate a bit herself, but she was exhausted and soon fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Skinner rode hard through the night until he heard that familiar sound. The sound of a pony snorting in his sleep. He followed the sound to find exactly what he had expected: his daughter sleeping beside the pony, grouchy looking and tired. He smiled affectionately, then repeated the same process he had six nights ago. Once Rayna was safely seated on Small, he double checked the thongs holding her supplies in place, tightened the girth straps of the pony's saddle and mounted as the pony began to walk. Then once he was seated comfortably he urged the animal into a gallop, Small following faithfully behind. The enormous outline of castle Redmont was visible in the horizon as dawn broke. Skinner smiled, checked Rayna and the horses, and they rode off to the east of the looming shape, headed towards the fief next door. It was two day's ride away, and Skinner wanted to make it at least a quarter of the way there before Rayna woke. He pushed the horses hard, then set Rayna up as she had been when he'd found her, kissed her goodnight and rode off towards the new fief.

Rayna woke up, ate grouchily, and rode all day, stopping briefly for a noon meal. The horse walked slowly and tiredly, and his gait was weak and clumsy. Rayna wondered if she had been pushing him too hard. Then she shoved the thought away. She had pushed him just fine, she decided, and when she set up camp he lowered himself to his knees without protest. Rayna leaned against him glanced around her once more and closed her eyes. The moment she did so she was asleep.

Skinner led the horse for the last leg of the journey. They soon arrived at his Ranger's cabin in the woods, and he dropped the pony off there. He rode double with Rayna to the house that she would share with Angela when he wasn't around. He picked her up and carried her inside, leaving Small outside. He lay Rayna gently down on her new bed. She rolled over and muttered, and he smiled affectionately. Then he went down to the living room, where Angela was unpacking their things.

She had arrived just before them, in fact, with a couple of Skinner's fellow Rangers, bringing in their things and unpacking them. Crowley had sent word to her a while ago so she had time to get ready, before Skinner himself had known. Skinner had noticed that the house seemed to be getting emptier and emptier, but he hadn't thought to ask why.

Angela unwrapped a ceramic vase from a wooden box, where it had been packed in hay. "Let me do that," he offered. "You get some sleep." Angela shook her head.

"You wouldn't be careful enough and you'd put everything in the wrong place," she said stubbornly, and he smiled. Just like she had been when she was younger.

"Al lright," he said. "Well, I have a feeling a certain someone won't be sleeping yet, and we need to decide how to break it to Ray tomorrow."

Angela nodded and kissed him on the cheek. He returned the favour and slipped out the door.

When he arrived at Will's house some hours later, he was greeted by his son. Axel grinned. "You're here already."

"It would appear that I am. And someone else is here with me," Skinner said.

"Where?" Axel said, trying to see if Rayna was hiding behind him. Skinner shook his head.

"At the house," he said. "You need to show up in the morning. I think she'd like it if yours was the first face she saw upon arriving at her new home."

Axel grinned. "No problem. I'll be there."

Skinner smiled. "I'll see you in the morning then. She wakes up early. Don't be late."

"Don't count on it," Axel said cheerfully, and Skinner knew he'd be there well ahead of time.

Rayna woke with a yawn. She looked around at her room. There was something wrong. The mattress wasn't quite the same, and the walls were bare, where once there had hung sketches of her and her friends. She panicked for a moment, then saw all of her stuff in boxes along the far wall. _Are we moving? _she wondered. _Why is the window over there? Wasn't the door there before?_ She got up and slipped on a pair of black tights, a long, dark green tunic, belted at the waist. She found the cloak she had borrowed from Axel a week ago. She held it up. She missed him already. She slipped it around her shoulders and fastened it. It still smelled like him, smoke and pine and his father's coffee. For a brief moment she wondered how she knew what he smelled like, but she was distracted by a knock at the door.

"Come in," she said, suspicious. Her fingers closed around the hilt of her sword.

The door opened slowly and a figure wearing a dark, cowled cloak stepped in. There was something about this figure that seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it. Then it hit her and her hand dropped limply from her sword. It was a smell.

Smoke, pine and coffee.

"_Axel_?" she said, incredulous. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Axel grinned. "Welcome home," he said simply.

"But . . . You're all the way at Redmont. There's no way you made it –"

"Right next door in one night?" he finished, and her jaw dropped.

"You mean, Dad got assigned . . . _right next to Redmont_?" she said, her voice rising in pitch.

Axel's grin widened. "Look out your window." Rayna obliged, and her breath caught as she saw a somewhat distant castle Redmont looming into the sky. She squealed with delight and threw her surprisingly muscular arms around Axel's neck. He stepped back a bit, absorbing her momentum, then returned her embrace.

She didn't let go for an awfully long time. He eventually had to pry her arms from around his throat. She chewed her lip in excitement. Axel grinned and shook his head.

"You are too easy to please," he said, teasing, and Rayna slapped his arm. But she was grinning.

Towards noon, Axel and Rayna were lying on their backs in a patch of grass in the woods. Rayna closed her eyes, delighted, absorbing all of the warmth and light of the sun, very much aware of Axel's head right above hers. She tilted her head back to look at him and he did the same. They both smiled, then Rayna got a cramp in her neck and relaxed her head back down. She felt something by her ear. She turned her head to see what it was. It was Axel's hand. She reached up with her own to grasp it and he tightened his grip slightly.

Then they both froze, Rayna slightly after Axel did. They heard something. Hoof beats. Coming towards them. They sat up simultaneously, looked at each other, nodded and hurried into the trees surrounding the small grassy clearing where they had been. They huddled close together in a bush that blended perfectly with their mottled Ranger cloaks. Seconds later, a horse rode into the clearing. It was a tall, beautiful bay, and a fraction of a second after Rayna recognized the horse recognized its rider.

"James!" she cried, jumping up and rushing back into the clearing. The horse snorted and stomped his feet. _I'm here too, you know,_ he seemed to be saying. Rayna laughed and threw her arms around the horse's neck. "Hi, Roan." Roan nuzzled her in the shoulder and she petted him on the nose the way horses like it. Then James dismounted.

He was tall, broad-shouldered and handsome. Rayna looked up at him for a moment, then ran forward and launched herself into his arms. He stumbled back a bit, surprised, then held her tightly. Her feet dangled slightly above the ground. When he put her down her feet had barely touched the ground when she sprang up suddenly.

"Oh! There's someone you have to meet," she said, and looked pointedly at the bushes where Axel was concealed. When he stood, seeming to just appear our of nowhere, James kind of gave a start. Rayna giggled. Axel smiled from the depths of his cowl, and Rayna thought he looked very much like his father. "Axel, this is James. He was in my Battleschool. James, this is Axel. He's–"

"Will Treaty's son and apprentice," James said with a certain amount of awe in his voice. "I've heard all about you." He held out a hand to shake. Axel shook it without saying anything, but that small, mysterious smile didn't leave his lips. Rayna smiled at them.

"This is _wonderful_!" she said. "I'm so sorry I couldn't leave without saying goodbye, James. But I didn't know we were coming and –" James laid a finger on her lips to silence her.

"When you start talking that fast you don't even stop to breathe," he said. Rayna smiled.

"That's probably true," she admitted, and James took his finger away. Rayna beamed at them both. James grinned at her. Axel's small smile hadn't gone anywhere, although she thought she'd seen it flicker slightly when James had silenced her. She put an arm around each of them and smiled at them each in turn. "This is going to be an amazing day," she decided.

They spent the first part of the afternoon at the archery range, where Axel taught them how to shoot, and James discovered that Rayna was a very good shot. Not quite as good as Axel, of course, but with practise she might get there.

A few hours into it, she notched an arrow, drew back the string, aimed and released almost as smoothly as Axel, and almost hit right in the center of the target. Just a few centimetres to the left.

"Loosen your grip on the bow a bit," Axel suggested. "If it's too tense your bow might veer to the left and throw off your aim."

Rayna didn't care. She grinned. "Did you see how fast that was?" she exclaimed.

"We'll make a Ranger of you yet," Axel told her, and she shouted her enthusiasm. James, who had given up a while ago, cheered once and clapped. She beamed at him. Then she turned back to Axel.

"A good share of a Ranger's success goes to their teacher," she said to him, and he smiled. But he shook his head.

"You don't need teaching. You're almost a natural," he said, and was very pleased when he realized that it was the truth. Rayna smiled at him and held out her arms for a hug. Axel obliged without hesitation, although it didn't last very long, as Rayna was jumping up and down from excitement. James came up behind them and Rayna turned without warning and launched herself at him, but he caught her and held her at arms length until she calmed down. Then it was his turn to wrap his arms around her slim waist.

"Congratulations," he muttered into her ear, and she grinned, burying her face in his shoulder. When he set her down, she jumped up almost immediately.

"Ooh, James, could you show Axel your sword fighting skills? Please?" she begged. Then she appealed to Axel. "If you want to see 'almost a natural' you should see him with a sword," she said admiringly and turned back to James. James shrugged modestly and looked at Axel.

"She's exaggerating," he said.

"I am not!" Rayna exclaimed. "Show him!" She drew her sword and balanced easily on the balls of her feet. James sighed and drew his own blade. Rayna grinned.

James swung a series of overhand cuts at Rayna, who parried them with some difficulty. Then a would be deadly side-cut followed, if she hadn't expected it and crouched so that the blade swung clean over her head. Then she sprang to her feet, still grinning. She feinted a side-cut, and as he moved to block it she swung an overhand at him, but his lightning fast reflexes moved the blade at the last second to parry it. Then Rayna danced backwards as he swung at her stomach. She tried the same move on him and he parried it with a shield he had shrugged off his left shoulder and now rested on his arm. Then he thrusted forward with his blade and she had to step sideways to avoid it.

Axel watched studiously. He was trying to decipher the technique. There was a technique to everything Rangers did. There must be a technique to sword fighting. But he couldn't find it. Growing increasingly frustrated, he took a deep breath to calm his mind. _Remember,_ Will had told him on several occasions. _When you're on a mission for your fief, you want to bring back an accurate report. You can't let emotions like frustration and panic plague your thoughts, or you're almost guaranteed to miss something. Stay focused._

Rayna was now on the defensive, blocking and sidestepping desperately to escape James' torrent of overhand and side-cuts. When she tried to go on the offensive her attempts were slightly clumsy and James, obviously an expert, parried them easily. Once, Rayna almost had him, swinging into an overhand cut and twisting her wrist in a small half circle, drawing back slightly and turning the swing into a stab. James was caught off guard, but once again his reflexes saved him and he blocked the thrust with his shield.

Rayna glared at him. He was the first to block that stroke. That had won her many a practise duel back at Battleschool. She suddenly grew wistful. She would miss that grumpy old Battlemaster, Sir Richard, and the way he shouted orders. She would miss the older students in their third or fourth year who tried to pick on James and herself. She would miss the long runs they took in the morning, that brought everyone back to the dorm exhausted. But most of all she would miss James, and his optimistic view on the world, and his smile that brightened everyone's day.

It was this brief moment of wistfulness that lost her the fight. James spun around, and with the momentum of his spin behind it the swing should have decapitated Rayna, if James hadn't had complete control over his sword and stopped it a couple centimetres from her throat.

"I win," he said simply, taking his sword away from her throat and re-sheathing it. Rayna grinned at him.

"You sure do," she said. She turned to Axel. "See? Almost a natural."

"Indeed," Axel said thoughtfully. Rayna studied him, frowning, for a moment, then shrugged. It wasn't in a Ranger's nature to make sense.

She turned back to James. He was checking the sky. Rayna noticed and her face fell. If it had taken him this long to arrive, he would have to leave before too long to get back in decent time. James turned to her and his expression confirmed her suspicions.

"You have to go now," she said grimly, and he nodded. She nodded too. "Well, you take all the vacations you can, you visit every break you get, and you write. A lot."

James had a small smile on his lips. "Sir Richard never gives breaks, Rayna. Or vacations. But I promise I'll write."

Rayna pouted. James wrapped his arms around her shoulders and she threw her arms around his neck. "You better," she warned. James smiled.

"Count on it," he whispered. She smiled and buried her face in his neck for a moment, then he had to set her down. She didn't let go of him when he did, though. "Rayna . . . Rayna . . . I have to go now. Let go, please," he coaxed softly. Rayna let go and put her hands on her hips. Then, just before he mounted Roan, he decided that he had forgotten something. He spun around and kissed her quickly, then spun back around and jumped into Roan's saddle. Rayna just stared after him as he galloped off with barely a second glance.

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**Hmm... not entirely sure about that ending**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Review please!**

**-The Demons**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters. They all belong to John Flanagan. **

**Jeez, this story is going faster than I thought it would. Hmm...**

**Well, you know the drill. R&R!**

* * *

CHAPTER 3:

Axel slipped silently back to his house. He had known there was something special about the young Battleschool apprentices. He had sensed it, but he had pushed it away the entire day.

When he walked in, his mother, Alyss Mainwaring, saw his blank face and knew there was something wrong. As a diplomat, she had had to hide her emotions on many occasions, and so could also tell when someone else was doing so. Except Will. She could never tell with Will.

"What's wrong?" she asked as he made to go up the stone stairs to his room.

"Nothing," he said without stopping. Alyss sighed.

"Will?" she called.

"Yes?" Will's voice came from somewhere in the house.

"Axel wants to talk to you."

"No he doesn't!" Axel's voice came from upstairs.

"On my way," Will said.

Alyss heard the faint brush of a cloak on stone and knew that Will had gone upstairs after Axel. Satisfied, she returned to her work, preparing for a trip she had to make soon.

Will slipped up the stairs into Axel's room. Axel was practising throwing knives. Will allowed him to do so in the house because the young apprentice had uncanny accuracy with the well balanced throwing knife that Rangers carried. But his expert aim was thrown off when he was angry or frustrated. As Will watched, the knife sailed out of Axel hand to thunk into the target towards the top, almost missing the target completely. He grabbed Axel's shoulder as he made to retrieve the knife. His son glared up at him.

"There is definitely something bothering you," Will said. Axel tried to protest but Will held up a hand. "I wasn't finished. It's to do with Rayna and James."

Axel frowned. "How did you know that?"

Will smiled. "Because when you're thinking about Rayna you hand closes around the hilt of an imaginary sword, and when you're thinking about James, your knuckles turn white around the hilt of said imaginary sword."

Axel slumped, defeated. He would never get anything past his dad, he knew. "Yeah," he grumbled. Will steered him towards his bed with the hand that was on his shoulder, and sat down on the edge, with Axel beside him. "What happened?" Will asked.

Axel didn't talk for a while. Then he opened his mouth, said "They . . ." and then shut it again. Will nodded his understanding.

"Did he, or did she?" he asked.

"He did," he answered, and Will nodded again.

Axel sighed. "It's not fair!" he complained. Will smiled inwardly.

"Life isn't fair, Axel," he said philosophically. Axel glared at him.

"Easy for you to say," he muttered. "Mum never wanted anyone but you and you know it."

Will said nothing. He supposed it would have been different for him, had Alyss fallen for anyone else. He supposed he would have been dealing with the same jealousy that Axel was.

"Axel," he said. Axel looked at him. "Did she say anything? Did she react?"

"Not that I saw," Axel said. "She stared at him as he was riding away but I only stayed for a few seconds of that."

Will nodded. "Chances are she's as surprised as you are. Not quite as angry, probably, but I doubt that she saw it coming either."

Axel's spirits lifted slightly at that. His father was right, he decided. Rayna probably had no idea. Will squeezed his son's shoulder as Axel sat up a little straighter, and he knew there wasn't much else he could do.

"I'll be off then. Never miss a chance to practice," he said cheerfully, and Axel watched him walk back down the stairs. Then the door opened, he heard a muffled conversation and then his father called him down. He knew who it would be.

"Hi, Rayna," he said as he came to the door.

She looked up from her boots as he came down and tried for a smile. "Axel, I–"

Axel held up a hand to stop her. "Don't try to apologize. Please, just . . . don't."

Rayna looked at him. He was acting strange. "Axel?" she said quietly.

"Don't –" he started but she cut him off.

"No, _you_ don't. Look, I'm sorry, okay? Lord knows when the next time I see James will be, and. . . It's just his way of saying he cares. And that he won't forget."

Axel looked at her. She was right, he figured. She knew James better than he did and if that's what she thought then she was probably right.

"Okay," he said quietly. Rayna sighed. Then she forced a smile, made a show of looking at the sky and then turned back to Axel.

"It's getting late, I should head back," she said apologetically. Axel nodded.

"See you tomorrow, I suppose," he said.

Rayna grinned. "That's a first." Axel's smile widened a bit and she walked up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then she kissed him on the cheek and was gone.

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**There you go, chappie three!**

**Please revieeeeeew!**

**-The Demons**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters. They all belong to John Flanagan.**

**Here I am again... so soon... I'm really enjoying writing this story. **

**I don't suppose I need to tell you anymore, but R&R!**

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~FOUR YEARS LATER~

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CHAPTER 4:

"Axel! Look out!"

Axel ducked just in time for the practice striker to go sailing above his head. "Thanks!" he called.

His father had taken to drilling him with false Ranger weapons, so that Axel could get used to fighting someone with extreme skill. Then it would be even easier to fight someone with less skill.

He dropped into cover behind a large rock as a hail of arrows made of hardened cotton rained down on him. He hurried back out of cover, darting towards a big leafy bush where he stayed for a while, considering his next move.

He had to reach the goal without "dying" or getting "injured". Rayna was standing safely on the goal, calling to him whenever he missed something. But soon, he knew, she would be joining him on the field and it would be a race to the finish.

There was barely any cover leading up to the goal, but the shadows were lengthening, offering good enough cover for a Ranger in his fourth year of training. He wriggled out on his stomach, using his elbows and ankles to propel him forward, pushing branches out of his way as he went. He was barely three meters from the goal when some instinct of imminent danger, some sixth sense, told him to roll to the right. He obliged and an arrow hissed past his ear. _So much for staying hidden,_ he thought, and ran the remaining two and a half meters to the goal.

Rayna clapped and embraced him. It was his first time actually reaching the goal. He had gotten within a hairsbreadth before, but Will had always gotten him. This time he had gotten past unscathed.

Rayna stepped back. She was still slightly below average height, but she was taller than she had been three years ago when she had moved to the fief right next to Redmont. Her dark hair was held back from her face with a simple leather headband, and her brilliant green eyes shone in the dimming light. Even in her simple attire – a pair of brown tights, a long dark green tunic, belted at the waist with a brown belt of woven leather, soft boots, and of course the Ranger's cloak she had "borrowed" from Axel all those years ago and still hadn't returned – she really was quite pretty.

Axel grinned at his old friend. He was slightly taller than she was, and looked an awful lot like his father, with his curly brown hair and warm brown eyes, his slight build and a cheeky little smile. He was dressed in plain browns and greens, similarly to Rayna, with his quiver slung over his shoulder, cloak folded back to show the feathered tips, and double scabbard at his hip, with his trusty saxe and throwing knife ready to be drawn on short notice.

Rayna unfastened the cloak around her shoulders and held it out to him. "It's getting small," she said. Axel pushed her hand back towards her.

"Keep it. As a memento," he smiled.

Rayna held the cloak up to her cheek. "I think I'll do that," she said. She had noticed that his old cloak still smelled like Axel had when they were younger, but present Axel was beginning to smell less of his father's coffee and more of his own. Less honey and more sugar. As she had four years ago, Rayna briefly wondered how she knew what he smelled like, but her father called to her and she had to head home for supper.

"Tomorrow?" she asked Axel, who looked inquiringly at his father, who had slipped noiselessly to join them. Will nodded, and Axel turned back to Rayna, smiling.

"You bet," he said, and she grinned. She stepped back a few paces, touching two fingers to her forehead in a salute, then turned and ran home.

"So how did it go today?" Angela, Rayna's mother, asked. She had no idea that at that exact moment, Alyss Mainwaring was asking her son the exact same question.

"Great!" Rayna replied enthusiastically, at the same time as Axel. "Axel made it to the finish today."

"He's a good boy," Skinner said, as if Axel were his own son. At that exact moment, Axel's father was saying those exact words.

"Better get to bed," Rayna said, standing up as Axel, back in Redmont, did precisely the same thing. "Want to get to training on time tomorrow."

"Good night, Rayna," Skinner and Angela said.

"Night," Rayna waved slightly. Then she hurried to ready her lantern. She and Axel were sending signals to each other.

_Good job today._

_Thank you._

_My pleasure. Do you think you will make it tomorrow_

_Of course._

_Great._

_You are getting better._

_At what_

_Your Ranger skills. They are improving._

_Thank you. Yours are too._

_I'm being trained. You just do it yourself._

_Axel_

_Yes_

_Don't brag about me to myself. _

_Okay. Good night then._

_Night_

Rayna put the lantern away. Alyss had explained the courier code to Axel a few years back, and in turn he had told Rayna. Sometimes the two friends would entertain themselves and each other by sending messages to one another during the night.

Rayna curled up in bed. Then she saw a few quick shapes drawn in the air by Axel's lantern, too quickly for her to jot them down. She rushed to the window to see if he would repeat them, and when he didn't she shrugged, went back to bed and was soon asleep.

In his room at Redmont, Axel blew out his lantern and smiled. There was no way Rayna had gotten that last bit. He lay down in his bed and fell into an uncharacteristically dreamless sleep, to be woken in the morning by his mother's scream.

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**Ooh, cliffhanger!**

**Hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think!**

**Please review!**

**-The Demons**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters. They all belong to John Flanagan. **

**Well, chapter five. Hope you like it. **

**As always, R&R!**

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CHAPTER 5:

Axel rushed down the stairs after throwing on his clothes and cloak. "What is it?" he asked, concerned. His mother was huddled over the table, holding a piece of paper between her fingers. Suddenly her fingers seemed to fail her and the paper fluttered to the table where Axel picked it up, scanned it, and his eyes widened.

"It's okay, mum," he said in a conciliatory tone to his mother. "We'll get him back."

He grabbed the note, rushed upstairs, selected a message arrow from his quiver, and tucked the note inside. Then, as an afterthought, he scrawled a quick note on a scrap of parchment and tucked it in the arrow as well. Then he aimed carefully at Rayna's house, then lifted his aim somewhat to compensate for the drop. Her house was right on the border between Redmont and her father's fief, and it was was close enough to see. A few hundred meters away, maybe. Then Axel decided his aim was not good enough from his bedroom and he slung his bow over his shoulder, slipped out the window, and climbed onto the roof. _Much better,_ he thought. Now he aimed, compensated for the drop, and fired the message arrow right through Rayna's window. _Please be awake,_ he begged silently, slipping into his room once more. He was headed to Arrida.

Rayna woke to a thunk at the opposite end of her room. She yelped as she saw an arrow lying on the floor. A message arrow. She picked it up, opened the container and drew out the first note. Her jaw dropped.

"Damn it!" she said quietly.

It was a ransom note.

The Tualaghi had Will.

Rayna swore. Will had told her and Axel many times about his misadventures with the Tualaghi leader, Yusal. He seemed a dangerous man, and if this Tualaghi general was anything like him they were in trouble.

Then she found a second note stuffed in. It was a hastily scribbled note from Axel.

_Dear Rayna,_

_I have gone after my father. Please don't come after me. Stay in your fief, or Redmont, where you will be safe. Don't ignore this, Rayna. I'll be fine. I promise. _

_Much love, Axel_

Rayna chewed her lip. She wanted to go after Axel, but she wanted to do as he asked. She felt frustrated tears spring to her eyes. She rushed downstairs and slammed into her father. She looked up at him for a moment and he looked down at her, confused, and then she threw her arms around his stomach and sobbed. He stroked her hair and muttered soothing things to her.

"What's wrong, Ray?" he crooned. "What is it?" Angela had come in at the noise and now watched, concerned.

"It's Axel," Rayna tried to say, but it came out as a strangled gulp. She swallowed and tried again. "It's Axel," she managed, but then sobs wracked her body again, and she handed her parents the notes. They read them and exchanged worried glances. Rayna noticed and looked up suspiciously.

"What?" she asked. They glanced at each other again, and Angela stepped forward and knelt down in front of Rayna.

"It's . . . There's no Ranger at Redmont, right now, with Will gone," she explained. "And Axel might have been able to take his place, but he's gone after his father. Redmont is without eyes and ears, and that could be dangerous."

Rayna nodded her understanding. If Redmont was left without a Ranger, they wouldn't have anyone to gather information for them. If they missed something important, like an impending invasion, it could mean disaster for the fief. Rayna wiped her eyes.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"We have to tell Crowley," Skinner said immediately. Angela shook her head.

"If Baron Arald knows, he'll tell Crowley," she insisted.

"And if Crowley knows, he'll tell the Baron," Rayna's father argued. Rayna smiled as they started to argue. _Typical_, she thought, and slipped out unnoticed.

"Crowley!" Rayna yelled, as she saw him go past. He stopped to look at her. He didn't seem to recognize her. She rolled her eyes. "It's me, Rayna!" When the name didn't seem familiar she dropped her arms to her sides, exasperated. "I have news. It's Will."

That certainly got his attention. He ushered her inside towards him and led her up to his office. He sat down at his desk and gestured at a chair across from him.

"Sit, please," he insisted. "What is it you have to tell me about Will Treaty? And how do you know?"

"I got this, sir," she said, and laid the message arrow on the table. He examined it.

"It's empty," he said simply.

"Yes, yes," Rayna said, waving a hand in the air to brush it aside, dismissing the fact. "But Will Treaty's son, Axel, shot it through my window. It had two notes in it. One was a ransom note for Will, from the Tualaghi."

Crowley cursed under his breath. "And the other?" he asked.

"A note from Axel, telling me he was going after his father." She gulped and blinked back tears. "And saying that I am not to go after him."

Crowley seemed to realize something. "You're Skinner's daughter!"

Rayna forced a smile and nodded. "That's me."

"I knew you looked familiar," Crowley said. "So are you going after him or not?"

Rayna's face clouded. "I don't know if I should or not. I want to help him, but I also want to do as he asks."

Crowley nodded slowly. "You know what I think?"

"What?" Rayna asked. If Crowley had an idea, it was worth listening to.

Crowley leaned forward, and Rayna did the same. When Crowley spoke, it was barely above a whisper, although there was no one Rayna could see who would be listening. "Go after Axel," Crowley said, and Rayna nodded and stood to leave. "I'm not done. And once you're caught up to him . . . go after Will."

Rayna's eyes widened. "Just us? But . . . we're _kids_."

Crowley smiled. "Will was a younger kid than you when he defeated the Kalkara. And barely more than a boy when he defeated the Tualaghi last time."

Rayna realized he was right. She thought about how Axel was so much like his father, and had confidence that together they could free his father.

"We may need reinforcement," she said. Crowley smiled mysteriously.

"Don't worry. I've got a plan."

Rayna glanced at him suspiciously as she rose to leave. "Thank you, sir," she said.

"Please, don't call me sir. My name is Crowley," he said with a smile. "We Rangers are all equals."

Rayna frowned, confused. "But . . . I'm not a Ranger, sir – Crowley."

Crowley smiled and shook his head. "No, of course not. Silly me. Go on then. Before he gets too far ahead."

Rayna nodded and hurried off, closing the door behind her. Crowley relaxed into his chair for a moment, then scrawled a quick note. "You hear that, Gilan?" he said. A tall, handsome man stepped out of the shadows.

"I'm supposed to be the master of unseen movement, you know," he said to Crowley in a hurt voice. Crowley smiled.

"I know." He held out the note to Gilan. "You know who to take this to?"

Gilan nodded and took the paper, scanned it quickly, nodded again and stuck it in his coat pocket. "Blaze and I will be back before you know it."

"I'll try not to notice your absence for a couple weeks or so," Crowley assured him. Gilan gave him a withering look and was out the door. Crowley sighed.

"I am getting too old for this," he said, then frowned. "And now I'm turning into Halt."

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**Well, there you go. Chapter five.**

**Hope you liked!**

**Review please!**

**-The Demons**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters. They all belong to John Flanagan. **

**So here we are, chapter six. **

**I wonder where this story is going...**

**You know the drill... R&R!**

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CHAPTER 6:

Rayna sneaked up the outside wall of her house into her room, where she gathered bow and arrows, a dagger for each boot, one for the sheath under her left forearm, and one in a sheath at her hip, along with her sword. Then she sneaked to the stables, left a hasty note in the trough, saddled up Small, and spoke his words in his ear. "_Complacer?_" she said, and the small horse shook his mane.

She smiled and mounted, waiting a couple seconds to see if the command had worked. When it apparently had, she pulled a map out of her pocket. She turned towards Arrida and put the map back in her pocket, then pulled the cowl of Axel's old cloak over her head, breathing deeply. Smoke, pine and coffee. She leaned forward over Small's neck to whisper in his ear: "Let's go save him, shall we?"

Small snorted and shook his head up and down. _Sounds like a plan_.

Rayna smiled and set of at full gallop. _It sure does_, she thought to herself.

She rode for weeks on end, stopping in many small villages where she replenished her supplies and caught up on sleep she had lost in the saddle. One man in a village she stopped in offered to let her stay in a spare room in his house, for free, however long she liked. But she shook her head and said that she appreciated his kindness, but she really had to catch up with her friend.

Seeing as Axel was also on a Ranger horse, this was no easy task.

On the fourth day of her third week of travel, she finally got word of Axel. A woman in a small fishing village had seen a "pleasant looking young man in a strange cloak, like yours" go by, not two days ago.

"Was he riding a horse like mine?" Rayna asked. She felt a swell of relief when the woman nodded.

"Oh, yes," the woman assured her. "Very similar. A friend of yours, I assume?"

Rayna smiled. "Yes. An old friend."

"Well, you better catch up to 'im then," the woman said, laughing. "Get on! Can't let 'im get too far ahead!"

Rayna grinned and nodded. "Thank you _so_ much," she said, not adding, _You have no idea how much trouble he's gotten himself into_.

"My pleasure, miss," the woman said. "My pleasure."

Rayna nodded once more and took off. She had to make up for two days of riding Axel had somehow gained and she hadn't.

Two days of hard riding later, Rayna found the first sign that she had caught up with him. A circle of stones from a fireplace, the coals still hissing from the water that had been dumped on them. Axel had made a halfhearted attempt to cover it with sand, but it had just turned the pit into a soupy mess.

"You're getting sloppy, my friend," Rayna muttered to herself, covered his tracks and her own, smothered the pit and kicked around the embers and the stones so there was no evidence that anyone had ever been there, then set off again. As it was getting dark, she reached him.

He was sitting in front of a small fire, eating something. His horse, Asher, was cropping the grass nearby, his reins dangling loosely on the pommel of his saddle. Rayna looked around for a way to approach him, and then smiled wryly to herself as an idea came. _If anything, it will keep him on his guard, _she thought, stepping forward and deliberately snapping the dry twig under her foot.

His reaction was immediate. His short-range recurve bow was in his hand in a second, an arrow notched and the string pulled back at half draw.

"Who's there?" he called, and Rayna saw how tired he was. His eyes were red-rimmed, with dark shadows from lack of sleep underneath, and his grip on his bow kept re-adjusting. She stepped forward only slightly, so that from where he stood a cloaked, hooded figure would be just visible in the shadows cast by the fire.

"Who are you?" he asked wearily, sensing something familiar about the figure standing across from him. Rayna stepped forward so that most of her face was in shadow, but he could see the wry twist of her lips. She drew a dagger and held it so that it glinted in the firelight. It was a long bladed knife, almost a sword, but not quite. She let him examine it for a moment, then threw it in an overhanded spinning throw, burrowing it into the tree beside his head. He gave a startled jump and moved abruptly to the side, and the knife missed him by bare centimetres.

Angry now, he pulled the knife out of the tree – with some difficulty. Then he stepped forward to join with her in conflict. He swung at her with his blade, missing her stomach by inches. Her quick step back saved her life. When he swung at her again, she met his blade with ease and deflected it. He wasn't an amazing sword fighter, and his drowsiness was making his positively sloppy. She parried side cuts, overhands, thrusts, stabs and swings without tiring.

After a few minutes of this, though, Axel got angry at his opponent and swung a powerful overhand. Rayna's blade went up to catch it before it sliced her neatly in two, his knife and her sword making an X above their heads, their faces centimetres apart as she drove him backwards, stepping forward towards the fire. He put up quite the fight, she noticed, and, not _too_ forcefully, she shoved him backwards. He stumbled and fell, and she loomed over him, sword raised. He held up his sword hand in a desperate attempt to shield him from a blow and she plucked her knife from his fingers, sliding it back into her boot.

Axel closed his eyes and clenched his fist, waiting for the impact. He had let his guard drop too far, he realized, and now he was going to pay. _Some Ranger I'd make_, he thought. Then he heard a sound he never would have expected: the hiss of metal on well-oiled leather, the sound of blade against sheath. Did the mysterious girl have another sword? Why did she need to draw it? Then he heard another unexpected sound.

A voice.

A voice he knew very well.

Rayna resheathed her sword and held out a hand to the defeated figure in front of her. "Come on, Axel," she said softly. "Get up. I'm not going to kill you."

Axel opened his eyes and lowered his arm from his face. The first thing he saw was a hand extended out towards him, and he gave a little start. Then he looked past the hand and saw a face as the girl pushed back the cowl of her cloak.

"Rayna?" he asked, incredulous, taking her hand as she hauled him to his feet. Then once he had regained his balance and most of his senses she threw her arms around his neck.

"You idiot!" she whispered to him. "I've been riding for _weeks_ to catch up to you! You've had me worried sick! Why did you –"

Her tirade was cut off by a finger laid gently on her lips. "Because I had to," Axel said calmly. Rayna batted his hand away.

"But you didn't have to leave me behind!" she said, slightly louder than she'd intended. She quickly covered her mouth, worried that someone had been listening. Axel smiled and shook his head, taking her hand away from her mouth.

"Don't worry," he said. "There's no one there."

Rayna raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't know I was there."

Axel had to admit she had a point. But he didn't want to think about who might be lurking in the shadows around his small campsite right now. He just grumbled to himself and went to turn away, but Rayna grabbed his arm.

"Axel," she said. He looked at her. "What do you think Will would want?"

Axel looked pained for a moment, but then he cleared his expression and gazed at her coolly and without emotion. "He would want you to be safe, Rayna," he said, firmly but quietly. Thinking he would have the final word, he turned to the fire and started walking away.

Rayna shook her head behind his back. "He would want me to go with you, Axel," she said in the same tone. "And you know it."

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**So there we go, chappie six.**

**Lemme know what you think!**

**Please review!**

**-The Demons**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters. They all belong to John Flanagan. **

**I got REVIEWS! Thank you so much to Farmers Daughter and whoever that Guest was :) **

**So in this chapter we see a little more of James (cheers)! **

**So... you know the drill, R&R!**

**(And thanks again to those who reviewed!)**

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CHAPTER7:

James' schedule never changed. He woke up, went for the morning run, came back to eat breakfast, did his drills, ate lunch, went to classes, ate his evening meal, went for another run, and then wrote to Rayna.

She hadn't been writing back, but he was convincing himself that she was otherwise occupied. In his heart he knew that Rayna would never ignore a letter from him, but he had to think otherwise, or his thoughts about her turned dark.

What he didn't know what that Adrien and Romie, students in the year above him, were sometimes charged with taking the mail to the delivery service, and that they enjoyed taking out other people's mail and burning it. It was simple coincidence that they always took James's.

One day, while he was lying on his bunk, writing a letter, he heard the door swing open, and many startled gasps came from his roommates.

"What's _he_ doing here?"

"What does he want?"

"I didn't even see him coming."

It was that last one that drew James' attention. Rangers were experts at moving unseen. He wondered if it would be too much to expect Axel to walk through the door.

Apparently it was. The figure was tall, striding without making a sound on the creaky wooden boards of the dormitory floor. But the longbow and the cloak were a dead giveaway. This was a Ranger.

Suddenly the unknown Ranger stopped in the middle of the dorm and looked around. James, in the bunk at the very back of the room, narrowed his eyes. What was he up to?

"Which one of you is . . ." the Ranger started, then made a show of consulting a scrap of paper in his hand. "James?" he finished.

Every single pair of eyes in the room swung to look at James, who did his best to disappear. The Ranger smiled at him and beckoned him down. "Come on down, then, James. I have a message for you. From Crowley."

James' brow furrowed with a confused expression. What did Crowley want from him?

The Ranger dropped his arm. "Oh, come on, James, you've forgotten me already?" Now that he mentioned it, there was something familiar about the Ranger. "It's Gilan, James," Gilan said, faking exasperation. "Gilan."

Understanding dawned on James' face. Rayna had introduced him to Gilan a while back, when he had insisted on going with Axel to visit Rayna, so that he could "finally meet this pretty girl you won't stop talking about". James and Gilan had gotten along well, and Gilan had seemed to James like the older brother he'd never had. He was old enough to be his father, but he still acted childish, so it was hard to think of him as fatherly.

Gilan grinned at the sudden understanding on James' face. "There we go," he said, beckoning him down. This time James hopped from his bunk without hesitation, tucking the letter he had been writing into his pocket as he went. Gilan noticed and nodded to it. "That for Ray?" James nodded. Gilan frowned. "I'll have you know I've taken care of a little problem you seem to have been having. Not receiving any letters back, are you?"

James actually took a tiny half step back. "How did you know that?"

Gilan nodded at the door, and two of the knights who helped with the drills came in, each dragging a boy by the ear. Gilan gestured. "These two boys have been burning them."

James' expression darkened. This was no longer an unusual expression on him. Without Rayna around he had turned into a dark, brooding character, and now Adrien and Romie shrank back a bit at his glare. The guards stood unflinching, but James didn't miss the concerned glance they shared when he started to step forward.

"James," Gilan said quietly, and James found a firm hand on his shoulder holding him back. He looked at the Ranger. Gilan's gaze was cool and completely devoid of any emotion. "No need," he said, and James felt his shoulders relax and slump slightly, ashamed.

"I'm sorry Gilan. It's just that . . ." _I haven't seen Rayna in years and without any contact with her I'm . . . not the same. _"Never mind," he grumbled, mostly to himself. Gilan looked with a certain amount of affection at the nineteen year old boy in front of him. Then he leaned forward and whispered in James' ear.

"You've heard of the Tualaghi, I presume?"

James' head shot up and his hand went instinctively to the hilt of his sword. Rayna had told him about Will's misadventures with the dangerous desert tribe, and he didn't like to think where this conversation was headed.

"Did they . . . ?" he started to ask, but drifted off. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Gilan shook his head. "Will," was all he said. James gazed at him, dumbstruck. They had Will? Will Treaty, the famous Ranger? Axel's father?

Gilan nodded gravely. The room around them had gone silent, young warriors watching the exchange intently. Eventually, James nodded slowly.

"How far ahead are they?" he asked in a level voice. He presumed that Axel and Rayna had gone after Will. Gilan nodded approvingly.

"A few weeks," he answered with an apologetic tone. "But it we hired a wolfship . . . maybe five days?"

James nodded. "I'll go."

Gilan grinned at him. "I thought you might."

Rayna woke up in the morning, curled into a ball on the hard ground. She sat up blearily, rubbing her eyes. Axel's lap had been serving a perfectly good pillow when she had fallen asleep. Where had he gone?

Then she saw a dark form huddled in the shadows beside the clearing, and she rolled her eyes. "I wonder where Axel could be," she said to herself, loudly, staring at the spot where he was hidden. She walked up to him and drew him to his feet by his shoulders. "Seriously?" she asked. He stuck his tongue out at her. She smiled.

"Come on," he said. "We've got a long ride ahead of us."

Rayna's grin faded. "Yeah. We do."

James and Gilan stood awkwardly on the shore, waiting while a wolfship pulled up to the dock. The captain was young, a nephew of Erak Starfollower, some said. No one really knew who his parents were, and he was quite happy to keep them in the dark.

"Gilan!" he called happily, waving to the Ranger. Gilan smiled and waved back.

"Hello, Noran!" Gilan called back, and the young captain grinned.

Gilan and James walked up the dock to the ship together, Gilan easily matching James's long strides. They waited while the gangway was put out for them and Noran walked up to them, smiling.

"It's been too long," Noran grinned. Gilan smiled back, and the two friends hugged fondly. James stood awkwardly to the side. Noran noticed him. "Who's this fine young man?" he asked, stepping forward and extending a hand to shake. James shook it hesitantly. He had heard of the Skandians' iron grip. Noran's was softer than he had been led to believe and he relaxed slightly.

"James," he said.

"Well, it's mighty fine to meet you, James," Noran grinned. James smiled back. "Well, come on then," Noran said, stepping back and gesturing to his ship. "No time to waste, eh?"

James and Gilan glanced at each other, then Gilan shrugged and hurried after Noran up the gangway. James caught up to him and walked a short distance behind him up onto the deck. The rocking of the ship made him uneasy. It didn't seem stable. Noran, though, seemed right at home, perhaps even more comfortable on a boat than on land. James didn't think he would get sick, but he figured it might take a while for him to get used to the constant back and forth motion of the ship. Noran shouted orders at his crew, and they hurried to attend to their duties, some shouting hellos to their passengers. Gilan and James smiled and nodded politely to the big men. One of them came and showed them to the cabins where they would stay for the journey, then bowed out to help set up the mainsheet. Gilan disappeared into his quarters immediately, and James walked slowly into his. He sat on the small bed and put his head in his hands, trying to fight off the headache he was getting.

Axel and Rayna marched grumpily through the forest, leading their tired horses behind them. They swatted at flies and stray branches, grumbling to themselves. Eventually the trees became thinner and they reached a long beach. Beyond the beach stretched a huge body of water, unlike any Rayna had ever seen – the sea. She caught her breath and grabbed Axel's hand. They glanced at each other.

"This is it," he said. "The trading barges headed for Arrida sail from here."

Rayna looked back at the harbour. "But ... how will we find the right one?"

Axel squeezed her hand. "We will," he said quietly, not answering her question. "We will," he repeated, and she caught his tone. He didn't want to think what might happen if he didn't. She just nodded and they set off down the gentle slope to the docks.

Over the course of the day they talked to eight captains and three first mates, but none of them accepted them onto their boats. Axel and Rayna were becoming more and more desperate as the sun began to sink. When it was barely a sliver above the horizon, they finally found what they were looking for.

"Yer know anything about ships, lad?" the captain asked Axel. Axel stared dubiously at the tangle of ropes on the mast and shrugged.

"We just need passage to –" he started, but was cut off grumpily.

"I sail a barge, lad, not a ferry. Since you can't help me on my ship, _get off_."

He started towards them menacingly, but Rayna stepped forth. "I could help, sir."

"You?" the captain snorted. "You're just a _lass_. You can't help me do a man's work! I'm willing to bet you know next to nothing about boats. Let alone fine ships like this one."

Rayna clenched her fists. "Actually, I know quite a bit about boats."

The captain snorted again. "Yeh, right."

"Try me," Rayna growled.

The captain picked a rope from the tangle on the mast. "What's this on 'ere called?"

Rayna frowned, trying to remember the things her father and James had taught her about boats. "Mainsheet," she said suddenly.

The captain touched the beam at the back of the ship. "This?"

Rayna snorted. "Tiller."

"Attached to?"

"Rudder."

The captain pointed left. "This way is called?"

"Port."

He pointed to the right.

"Starboard."

He pointed to the front.

"Stern."

He pointed to the back.

"Keel."

"Know how to use a northseeker?"

Rayna and Axel grinned at each other. "We both do, sir," Rayna said.

The captain sighed. "All right. I'll let you aboard. But you'll do your share of work."

"Of course." Rayna and Axel grinned, then settled in a dark corner to sleep until the sun came up and it was time to cast off.

They were woken roughly and dragged to their feet. Their first job was to keep the decks clean, as the captain wasn't ready to have them sailing quite yet. By his reasoning, Rayna may have known the words, but that didn't mean she knew how to sail. She grumbled as she scrubbed the deck, and Axel grumbled as he polished silverware. This followed for two more days, until the captain decided they were considering sneaking out on a lifeboat. He didn't want to lose them just yet. His deck had never been so well-scrubbed, nor his silverware better polished than when these two were around.

Rayna listened attentively, bright eyed, while the captain explained the rigging of the barge to her. They would be passing through a storm soon, so she wouldn't be doing it then, but she might as well do it now, to get used to it, before the storm came. She grinned when he'd finished and repeated it to him until he was satisfied – so at least seven times. Then she dashed up on deck and swung through the ropes like a monkey, tying and untying and readying the sail. Then she sat proudly on the boom of the sail while the first mate eyed her handiwork. When he found no flaws, he nodded and grunted grudgingly, turning to report back to the captain.

Axel joined Rayna up on the mast in a moment. They sat together, feeling the wind in their faces, Rayna smiling at the feeling of freedom it gave her, Axel smiling at the look of utter happiness on her face. He put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him, closing her eyes. They stayed there until the first crack of lighting sounded overhead, and they were chased down by the first mate.

"You might want to get down to your cabins for this," he said. "It'll be rough."

Rayna and Axel hurried down to their cabins without hesitation. They went into their own seperate rooms and sat on their bunks. Axel lay down with his hands folded behind his head. Rayna drew her knees up to her chin. Just under an hour later, they hit the storm.

Suddenly, the deck dipped alarmingly, Axel was thrown off his bunk and Rayna gripped the wall to keep from falling off. Axel clambered back to his feet, but was soon thrown back off balance when the ship hit another wave. Eventually he decided to cling to the wall to stay standing, and began to inch his way to the door. The noise of the sea pounded in his ears and he had to shout to hear himself.

"Rayna!" he called, staggering over to her cabin. "Rayna!"

"Axel!" Rayna called back, clambering to her feet and slipping more or less smoothly to the door. She opened it, grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him inside. He stumbled along beside her to her bunk and sat down, grabbing the wall to avoid falling. Rayna sat near to him, her eyes wide, listening to the clap of the thunder and the roar of the waves. She was shaking. Axel put one arm around her and she put one arm around him, and they huddled together, waiting for the storm to pass.

Three days after leaving Araluen, James was leaning over the railing, puking up his guts into the sea. He had been wrong in his assumption that he wouldn't be sick – obviously – and his nausea had gradually gotten worse over the past two days, rather than getting better. They were quickly approaching a storm – the same one that Rayna and Axel found themselves tangled in at that moment – and as the deck became more and more unstable under his feet, James had found it harder and harder to stand. Eventually he had resigned himself to a long journey in his cabin, when suddenly, almost a day later, he had gotten the sudden urge to vomit. So now he found himself on the deck, retching, as Gilan came up beside him, looking concerned. Eventually he spat and turned around. Gilan handed him a glass of water. He drank it slowly, sip by sip, and by the end of the glass he felt much better.

"You've been having an eventful trip so far," Gilan observed. James gave a little glare, then sat on the deck, leaning against the wall, his head in his hands. Gilan slid down next to him, and placed a hand on the young warrior's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know you're worried about her." James just grumbled to himself, and Gilan sighed, stood, and wandered away. James sat, hunched, on the deck. Then they hit the storm and he found himself in the same turmoil as Rayna and Axel, amplified a hundred times by his seasickness.

Two days later, two ships docked at a port in Arrida, crews tired and passengers unsteady on their feet. James, Rayna and Axel stumbled into the port, either ship far from the other. Rayna and Axel each slipped an arm around each other and helped each other to a bench. They huddled, sharing their cloaks to keep out the rain and wind. James walked right past them without a second glance, his head down, feeling awful. The only thing on his mind was finding an inn to sleep in for the night. He could find them in the morning, he told himself.

Axel and Rayna woke later that night, huddled together on the bench. Neither of them remembered falling asleep. Axel was lying on his side, with Rayna cocooned beside him. He shook her shoulder until she woke up. She opened bleary eyes and yawned. Then she stood and shook the raindrops off her cloak. Axel stood and did the same, then extended a hand towards her. She took it and they set off into the small Arridian town.

Unknowingly, they walked right past the inn where James was staying, asleep in his bed.

Axel bought Rayna a little trinket, a strange, twisting shape in orange glass. She took it and slipped it onto a leather band she wore around her neck. She grinned at him, and he grinned back. Then they saw someone they recognized. Rayna squealed.

"Gilan!" she yelled, releasing Axel's hand and launching herself at the tall Ranger. Gilan caught her, laughing, and hugged her. She hugged him back and refused to let go for a while. Eventually he had to pry her arms off and hold her down. She bounced on the balls of her feet and chewed her lip. Gilan laughed and patted her shoulder affectionately.

"Just like I remember you," he said, and Rayna grinned at him. Axel came over and gave Gilan a friendly hug. Then he stepped back and put an arm around Rayna's shoulders. Gilan looked them over. "You two look awful," he said. Rayna and Axel glanced at each other. They were both pale and had dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep. Rayna's hair hung in tangled strands and tendrils around her face, still dripping. Axel's hair stuck up at odd angles where it wasn't clinging to his skull. They turned back to Gilan. "I know of an inn," he said. "Let's go." He set off through the streets, Axel and Rayna hurrying to keep up.

Gilan led them to a run down, dilapidated-looking shack with a sign on a post outside, hanging by one corner. The sign read: BLUE ROACHES INN.

"Roaches?" Rayna said dubiously. Gilan just smiled and opened the door, gesturing for them to go first. Rayna and Axel walked in slowly, testing the creaky floorboards under their feet. They came into an entrance hall that doubled as a diner. There were several tables set into a room that looked larger than the outside of the inn had led them to believe. The room looked well cared for, and a few men and women sat at some of the tables, drinks in hand, laughing quietly. Some of them left as the inn came close to closing time. A grumpy-looking man wearing a stained white apron marched up to Rayna, Axel and Gilan.

"Welcome to the Blue ... whatever inn," he said grouchily. "What can I get you?"

Rayna and Axel shared a dubious glance, but Gilan grinned warmly at the man.

"Ryan," he said. "You forget the name of your own inn? Roaches."

Ryan's grumpy facade fell and he grinned back at Gilan. "Welcome back, Ranger."

"Back?" Rayna and Axel asked, confused.

"Oh," Gilan said, turning back to them. "I came here earlier."

"Why?" Rayna asked, but Gilan had turned back to Ryan.

"Can I get another room for these two?" he asked, and Ryan nodded.

"This way," he said, and gestured for them to follow. Rayna and Axel followed hesitantly as they were lead to a little room with two small wooden beds with thin sheets and lumpy pillows. Ryan showed them in with a flourish and a grin and they smiled at him. Axel flopped down on one bed and Rayna the other. Gilan smiled at them, slipped a couple silver coins to Ryan and closed the door behind them. Rayna and Axel fell asleep almost immediately.

In the morning, James woke up early, as he was used to from his battleschool training. He was on his feet in seconds, then he remembered where he was. He lay back down, staring at the ceiling for a while, letting his thoughts wander. But he couldn't sleep any longer. Eventually he forced himself to legs still shaky from his ordeal on Noran's ship. He walked slowly down the stairs and sat at a table in a corner. Ryan came up to him immediately and set a steaming bowl of oatmeal in front of him, and a mug of coffee. James looked up and smiled, and Ryan smiled back, patted him on the back, and left. James nursed his mug and devoured the oatmeal – he hadn't eaten since setting foot on the ship, and he had vomited that all up. He frowned and pushed his empty bowl aside, holding his cup in both hands.

Suddenly the stairs creaked and James's head snapped up. Two figures in easily recognizable Ranger cloaks plodded down the stairs and sat in another corner table across the room from James. The smaller figure leaned against the taller one, and the taller one wrapped an arm around the small figure's shoulders. A weary sigh and a yawn came across, and Ryan gave each of them a bowl of oatmeal and a mug of coffee. The taller figure picked up the mug immediately and downed it in a few gulps. The smaller figure gave a light, feminine laugh. So she was a girl. She picked up her own cup and gave a tentative sip.

James frowned. He got the feeling he knew these people. Although the girl did seem more familiar than the other figure. Then the taller figure tilted his head just so, and James saw the small, mysterious smile on his lips. The girl leaned back on his shoulder and the light caught dark hair and pale skin. He _recognized_ them. He coughed loudly.

Both figures looked up at him and the boy's smile turned to a frown. They glanced at each other and muttered something that James couldn't hear. Then they turned back to their meal and didn't once glance back up at James.

Rayna and Axel heard the cough, looked up at the young warrior in the corner, and frowned.

"Why do I feel like I've seen him before?" Rayna asked Axel.

"I have no idea, but I get the same feeling," Axel muttered back.

"Probably just passed him in the street or something," Rayna suggested.

"Yeah."

And they turned back to their meals, not giving the young warrior a second thought.

Later that day, Rayna and Axel were trekking through sand dunes, setting off to find Seley el'then in Al Shabah. The Wakir was a friend of Will's and he would help them, Axel was certain. But, to get to Al Shabah, they had a lot of walking to do. They led their horses behind them. Small and Asher stumbled through the sand, snorting and panting. Eventually, in the middle of the day, they stopped under the shade of a dried up riverbed and curled up against their horses. They put their cloaks over their heads to shield them from the sun, but it did not shield them from the heat. By the evening, when it had cooled down enough for them to emerge, they were both dripping with sweat.

That night, Rayna built a fire. They saw lions prowling around the edges of the flickering circle of light, but none came too close to the blaze. Rayna and Axel kept watch, making sure the fire didn't die down, stroking the other's forehead as they slept. The horses never left the circle of light either, as they seemed to know the danger of straying too far.

At one point, while Axel was sleeping, Rayna pulled his head into her lap and brushed sand off his cheek. She didn't know it, but he woke up at her touch. She took a deep breath and brushed her hair behind her ear, and closed her eyes. She looked up at the sky. A scattering of stars glittered brightly in the clear sky, and a song drifted to her, from a memory she didn't know she had. Her mother had sung it to her once when she was a child. And now, in the frigid nightime desert of Arrida, she began to sing it.

"_Stars like diamonds,_

_Stars like the sun through the rain_

_Stars that break through the darkest night_

_Stars that break through the pain_

_Stars that guide the sailor home_

_And the traveler looks to them too_

_Stars to bring the peace back_

_and Stars to bring me back to you."_

In the memory, her mother had then told her that wherever she was, she would always be close to her, in her heart, and then she'd kissed her on the forehead and gone to bed. Young Rayna had fallen asleep soon after.

In the present, Rayna whispered her mother's words to herself and looked down at Axel. She bent down and kissed him on the forehead, then sat up and leaned against Small, who had decided to come lie down behind her. She closed her eyes and sighed. Then she jumped when Axel spoke.

"That was beautiful, Ray," he said quietly. Rayna looked down at him, his eyes shone from the light of the fire as he gazed steadily at her. She blushed and leaned back against Small, closing her eyes.

"Your watch," she muttered. Axel smiled and sat up against Small beside her. Small grunted. Axel put an arm around Rayna's shoulders and pulled her gently onto his lap. Small got up and walked away, and Axel fell back wards into the sand. Rayna landed on top of him and giggled. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled. He didn't get up. They lay in the sand for the rest of the night, hearing low growls from the mountain lions or snorts from the horses, but not once did they move until morning broke the darkness.

James treaded after them soon after. He almost lost them three times in the confusing dunes, but he caught up to them as they slept. He camped a safe distance from them and the lions didn't bother him. In the morning he saw as they packed camp, and he got up again to follow them. He wondered how to break it to them that he was following. He couldn't wait to see Rayna, but he knew that Axel wasn't overly fond of him, and he wasn't sure how Rayna would react to seeing him after so long. He stamped, frustrated, sending up a cloud of dust that sped towards the other two on the wind. He cursed. Well, he knew how they would realize him now.

Rayna felt sand sting her cheeks, and she turned around. Neither her nor Axel raised enough sand for it to be them causing it. Then something caught her eye. A black and gold cloak. She frowned. The cloak seemed familiar. The she turned to Axel as the cloak crept a little closer.

"Axel," she muttered. "I think someone is following us."

"I noticed," Axel whispered back. "I've had my eye on him for some time."

Rayna glanced back, and Axel grabbed her hand and turned her away.

"Don't let him know you're watching," he mumbled. Rayna flushed and snapped her head around. She heard the follower's steady breathing, irritated curses he made, in that voice that was so familiar. She frowned. Why would he sound familiar? She muttered to herself, and then froze when she heard something she had not expected, much closer than she had realized.

"Rayna!" the stranger called. "Rayna, wait! It's me!"

Rayna spun, and her eyes blazed. "It's who?" she asked. She took in his light hair, his green eyes, his sun-kissed face, his broad shoulders and tall build. She frowned a bit, wondering why the face was familiar. The character's broad shoulder shrugged, and the handsome face made a quizzical expression.

"Do you not remember me?" he asked, and sounded sad. Rayna frowned and shrugged.

"Sorry," she said. "Should I?"

His face fell and his shoulders slumped. "I'd so hoped you would," he said quietly. Rayna felt a pang of guilt. She crept a bit closer.

"Rayna ..." Axel warned, but Rayna didn't listen. Now that he was closer she saw the hilt of his sword, with the swirling jade inlays and the worn metal grip. The scabbard was clean and looked well-kempt, and Rayna was willing to bet that the sword inside was equally so. A well trained warrior, then, who honoured his sword. She glanced back up to his face, searching his eyes. He stepped closer, and she did as well.

"Rayna, it's me," he said quietly. "Remember? Battleschool ..."

Suddenly it all came flooding back to her. Battleschool, Sir Richard, the drills, the training.

James.

"It's _you_!" she squealed excitedly. James's face broke out into a relieved grin.

"I thought you'd forgotten completely," he said. Rayna shook her head, and chewed her lip a moment before springing forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. She felt his strong arms around her and realized how much she'd missed him. She shook slightly and James felt silent tears seeping into his shoulder. He hushed her and stroked her hair, kissing her gently by her ear and muttering to her. She calmed eventually and he set her down. She clung desperately to his arm, as though afraid of losing him again.

"Axel!" she cried. "Axel, it's James!"

"Hullo, James," Axel said quietly. James smiled.

"You haven't changed," he said. "Always so mysterious."

Axel's smile widened, but it looked almost devilish now. "Neither have you, James. Neither have you."

* * *

**Ta-da, chapter seven!**

**Let me know what you thought. **

**Review please!**

**-The Demons**


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